Teslas first experiments

[Guest]

"One of Tesla's first discoveries took place when he realized that just after a high voltage dynamo's switch had been closed, for a brief millisecond, blue 'streamers' would appear to emanate orthogonal to the wire, similar to how radiant energy is described. This phenomenon would send an invisible shockwave throughout the room, to be felt by all (pins & needles) and if intense enough it would 'arc' onto an unlucky workman and kill him.

It was almost as though, viewing from the generator's perspective, the charge had hit a 'wall' for a brief second before the charge carriers (electrons) could respond. This resulted in a potential well and the brief supercharging of the wire.

Tesla reproduced this effect and named the energy rays emanating from the wire radiant energy. In order to achieve this effect the pulse would have to be unidirectional and above 10 kHz for safety reasons."

I would like to recreate this setup, but am not quite sure where to start because there are very little technical details in Tesla's notes. This experiment directly relates to the findings in Lindemann's book and the Edwin Gray valve. If anyone has any ideas id be very grateful.

Thanks

[broli]

I just read the this part in "Secrets of Cold War Technology". And I have to say I'm completely blown away by it. This is my first time I went deep into teslian experiments but WTH is this . Due to the lack of any diagrams I'm left with my imagination. The experiment where he used a coil and saw a white mist going over the the coil like wind over a car in a wind tunnel sounds and probably looks astonishing.

I googled this very profound discovery but I found nothing. I want to know and see MORE much MORE. According to this book Tesla ditched high frequency/voltage systems in favor of this. He apparently saw it even as a failure. As these amazing experiments where purely impulse based.

I'm still reading on.

[boguslaw]

I just read the this part in "Secrets of Cold War Technology". And I have to say I'm completely blown away by it. This is my first time I went deep into teslian experiments but WTH is this . Due to the lack of any diagrams I'm left with my imagination. The experiment where he used a coil and saw a white mist going over the the coil like wind over a car in a wind tunnel sounds and probably looks astonishing.

I googled this very profound discovery but I found nothing. I want to know and see MORE much MORE. According to this book Tesla ditched high frequency/voltage systems in favor of this. He apparently saw it even as a failure. As these amazing experiments where purely impulse based.

I'm still reading on.

After reading many times Tesla lectures I'd like to state that even with AC current high frequency high potential he was able to present quite astonishing and similar effects.It seems that to generate is is only require HIGHLY REPETITIVE SITUATION related to plasma generation, be it exact oscillation or abruptly stopped discharge.

Don't you think it's like stirring with a spoon inside a sticky fluid ? I STILL STATE that it's all because Earth magnetic field IS INVOLVED in every electric circuit operation.

[broli]

After finishing this chapter I should look into those. I just found it strange that there's not a recorded experiment of this phenomena. This book mentions Eric Dollard a few times in making successful replications.

[Aaron]

high voltage phenomena

There are a few people I know that have exploded wires. Basically a capacitive discharge into a very thin wire. Probalby a good idea to shield it with plexiglass or something but supposedly that won't stop the radiant sock waves emitting from it.

Anyway, here is a pic showing the phenomena of light emitting from a coil and in Secrets of Cold War Technology...discusses how the light could fill a room and make cold or warm breezes, etc...

[broli]

Yes that and supposedly hard to get on film which is mysterious. Has anyone on this forum had that effect or experience the shockwaves? The book also states how at some experiment Tesla, his assistants and a nearby tree where all engulfed by this light.

Certain experiments are so deep into this on this forum. But I have found none so far that show what seems to be the first thing you experience while experimenting with radiant energy.

[Guest]

Broli i totally agree with you, if we could retest Tesla's original research and properly document it, who knows how much progress we would make. Tesla was one of the first to discover radiant energy so we should learn from his experiences firsthand.

[Shamus]

FWIW, I believe Peter Lindemann did some of these Tesla experiments with another colleague. Perhaps he'd be willing to chime in here and let us know?

[broli]

It seems that to generate is is only require HIGHLY REPETITIVE SITUATION related to plasma generation, be it exact oscillation or abruptly stopped discharge.

This is what Gerry Vassilatos says in his book.

Most researchers and engineers are fixed in their view of Nikola Tesla and his discoveries. They seem curiously rigidified in the thought that his only realm of experimental developments laid in alternating current electricity. This is an erroneous conception which careful patent study reveals. Few recognize the documented facts that, after his work with alternating currents was completed, Tesla switched over completely to the study of impulse currents. His patents from this period to the end of his career are filled with the terminology equated with electrical impulses alone.

I haven't studied Tesla patents but alternating current and its inherit sinusoidal nature can't provide these intense impulses which are spoken of. From what I read so far Tesla didn't use AC at all for this experiment. AC is only introduced when transforming radiant energy back to electricity I believe. Which is a much later stadium where he found out a use for this new thing he discovered.

[boguslaw]

Let me cite Tesla:

"A most curious form of discharge is observed with such a coil when the frequency and potential are pushed to the extreme limit. To perform the
experiment, every part of the coil should be heavily insulated, and only two small spheres—or, better still, two sharp-edged metal discs (d d, Fig. 11)
of no more than a few centimetres in diameter—should be exposed to the air. The coil here used immersed in oil, and the ends of the secondary
reaching out of the oil are covered with an airtight cover of hard rubber of great thickness. All cracks, if there are any, should be carefully stopped up,
so that the brush discharge cannot form anywhere except on the small spheres or plates which are exposed to the air. In this case, since there are
no large plates or other bodies of capacity attached to the terminals, the coil is capable of an extremely rapid vibration. The potential may be raised
by increasing, as far as the experimenter judges proper, the rate of change of the primary current. With a coil not widely differing from the present, it
is best to connect the two primaries in multiple arc; but if the secondary should have a much greater number of turns the primaries should preferably
be used in series, as otherwise the vibration might be too fast for the secondary. It occurs under these conditions that misty white streams break forth
from the edges of the discs and spread out phantom-like into space. With this coil, when fairly well produced, they are about 25 to 30 centimetres
long. When the hand is held against them no sensation is produced, and a spark, causing a shock, jumps from the terminal only upon the hand being
brought much nearer. If the oscillation of the primary current is rendered intermittent by some means or other, there is a corresponding throbbing of
the streams, and now the hand or other conducting object may be brought in still greater proximity to the terminal without a spark being caused to
jump."
(EXPERIMENTS WITH ALTERNATE CURRENTS OF HIGH POTENTIAL AND HIGH FREQUENCY Delivered before the Institution of Electrical Engineers, London, February 1892.)

As you probably see the usage of disruptive discharge coil with spark gap oscillating arc also causes radiant phenomena, but I believe it is set of experiments done just before the discovery of some huge positive feedback when the oscillation or intermittent repetitive condition arc is converted to unidirectional highly repetitive impulses . I think that while oscillation has produced great effects and is very well suitable for powering phosphorescent lamps and fluorescent bulbs or carbon button bulbs, it has no property of releasing radiant waves . Recall how Gerry Vassilatos described how Tesla saw those white misty discharges actually grow in time. Fro the excerpt I mentioned above , AC oscillations in spark gap produced only steady white flames, having small tendency to wobble when oscillation on spark gap was dampened by magnetic field.

With a discovery of water spark plug effect I think people are ready to replicate both Tesla discoveries. I would rather start with AC currents of high frequency because they seems much more safe.Positive feedback is sometimes very hard to stop (I think I heard Tesla literally destroyed one of his lab and shutdown power plan nearby)

[Guest]

I think it would be interesting if someone here could try a few disruptive discharge tests on various samples of wire, with resistive loads, noting that is must be high frequency pulsed DC.

[boguslaw]

Look here and compare the effects of intense current which seems to produce similar (but different!) arc : The Turn Of The Century Electrotherapy Museum Tesla Library

People think wrongly, it is not the same. How Tesla could pass naked hand into such arc ? This is completely different phenomena and is detailed described in Tesla lecture. His noted 7 (!) stages of arc in spark gap, final one being like St Elmo's fire . There is no current in Tesla white misty flame.

[broli]

[Please delete this]

[broli]

Boguslaw I believe EXACTLY the same.

I think a lot of these experimenters are just plain wrong in thinking they have what tesla was describing. I don't understand how a plasma flame which is supposed to be super heated air at 1000°C can be cool to the touch. Or interact with coils like wind.

Many also mis the facts that the voltage needs to be in the millions. I have seen little to none experiments that even reach 100kV let alone MegaV's. What also funny is the many youtube vidoe's of tesla coils seen sparking. This goes completely against what Tesla trying to achieve such high ratio coils. Sparking was BAD for him and had to be eliminated.

[lighty]

How Tesla could pass naked hand into such arc ?

Where did you get that info?